Valencia Bullring (Plaza de Toros)

The arena, which can seat up to 10,500 people during bullfights, doubles as the Museo Taurino (Bullfighting Museum). You can learn more about the structure itself and the city’s bullfighting traditions without actually attending a fight. Admission to the museum grants you access to the stands, bullpens, corrals, and the infirmary where wounded matadors are treated.

Most tours of Valencia’s city center, including those by tuk-tuk, Jeep, bicycle, or even vintage sidecar, stop at the bullring, though not all itineraries include admission to the museum and arena.

• Don’t forget your camera; the bullring ranks among Valencia’s most architecturally beautiful buildings.
• An audio guide is available for those who wish to take a self-guided tour of the museum and bullring.
• The majority of Valencia Bullring (Plaza de Toros) is accessible to travelers in wheelchairs and with strollers.

It’s easy to get to the bullring by public transport; buses 7, 8, 19, and 40 stop nearby, as do lines 3, 5, and 9 of the Valencia metro. Get off at Parada Xativa Station, from which the museum is a few minutes away.

The bullring and museum are open from Tuesday to Sunday. Plan to visit when the facility opens to avoid crowds. Bullfights generally take place during the city’s Fallas celebrations in March and again during the July Fair.

Valencia Bullring is one of many historically-significant landmarks in Valencia. Continue exploring the city’s past at Torres de Serranos, once part of the old city walls, or explore the lavish rooms of La Lonja de la Seda, a medieval silk market. Valencia Cathedral, rumored to be the home of the Holy Grail, is also worth a visit, as are the Admiral’s Baths, which date back to the Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula.